Newsdate: Friday, July 14, 2023 - 8:00 am
Location: WASHINGTON, DC

With so many versions and stressed points of a legislative bill, it can be easy to get lost and not understand how it can impact you and your livelihood. The American Horse Council (AHC) understands this, which is why it is hosting a free webinar on July 17, 2023, at 1:00 PM EDT to help horse owners and business owners understand two important bills that will have a large influence on the industry.

Woman bathing a horse on a hot day.

Look into the Farm Bill and learn how it can affect you, your horses and your business, and learn more about the Right to Repair Bill related to farmer's rights to modify and repair their farm equipment.
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The Farm Bill covers everything from farmer support to community food access and was last signed into law in 2018. Up for its five-year renewal, the House and Senate Committees on Agriculture are hard at work holding hearings, reviewing budget and program submissions, and honing their math skills as the spending requests approach the $1 trillion mark. This will provide a “behind the scenes” look into the Farm Bill and learn how it can affect you, your horses and your business.

Have you ever had to do your own repairs on your tractor just to drag your arena? At best doing your own repairs might void the warranty, at worst you may be breaking the law! The “Right to Repair” (or “Fair Repair”) legislation protects you as a consumer. This is a legal right for owners of devices and equipment to freely modify and repair products such as automobiles, electronics and farm equipment.  What current “Right to Repair” protections exist, and what direction is the future of “Right to Repair” going?

Panel will include:

• Justina Graff – Senior Legislative Assistant at the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture. Justina is the Senior Legislative Assistant to Representative G.T. Thompson (R-PA) and has worked alongside him since February 2023. Prior to that, she has lobbied on behalf of the coalition to promote U.S. agricultural exports, the National Milk Producers Federation and the Organic Produce Association.
• Emily Buckman – Director, Government Affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation. Emily joined AFBF after serving two years as the Director of National Affairs for the Kentucky Farm Bureau. She previously worked on Capitol Hill for nearly a decade for Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY02) as a Senior Policy Advisor and served as a policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Rural Development and the Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services mission areas. While in these roles, she worked to advance policy and legislation on issues including agriculture, education, infrastructure, and workforce development.

“The American Horse Council’s goal has always been to keep the equine industry apprised of the latest legislation that might affect horse enthusiasts, owners and businesspersons,” says Julie Broadway, president of the AHC. “These two laws can be very confusing, yet very important for all constituents to understand, which is why we wanted to host this webinar.”

To register for the webinar, send an email to info@horsecouncil.org by July 15th.

About the American Horse Council 
As the national association representing all segments of the horse industry in Washington, D.C., the American Horse Council works daily to represent equine interests and opportunities.

Press release by Megan Arszman